The Lady in Red
by x0firefly0x
Summary: ...And I have never seen that dress you're wearing, or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes... I have been blind...Ron gazes upon Hermione at a ball, and realizes how he truly feels. Pure fluff, pure RHr.


**Lady In Red**  
  
_by x0firefly0x/Amanda_  
  
**Summary:** ...And I have never seen that dress you're wearing, or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes... I have been blind...Ron gazes upon Hermione at a ball, and realizes how he truly feels.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, and I do not own Lady In Red either. That is the amazing Chris De Burgh's priviledge.  
**Author's Note:** Please be kind with reviews for this songfic...this is a song very near and dear to my heart. It was my parent's engagement song, and as they're having trouble at the moment, this song brings back bittersweet memories. I am not ashamed to say it makes me cry. And so, I'm putting this song together with my second-favorite couple in the world, Ron and Hermione. They are truly meant to be. I only hope that one day I'll have something like that, and my own time to be a Lady in Red.  
  
(&)-----------------------------------------------------------------------------(&)  
  
Only one hour ago, I was sitting in a bloody uncomfortable sofa, in stupid blue dress robes in the common room. I was sitting next to Harry, in his dark green dress robes, who was fidgeting besides me. Another ball, another night of misery. Another night without a date. But, I suppose it's not that bad tonight, after all. We all don't have dates. Harry, when Cho asked him to the ball, refused flat out. I don't think there's much chance of a future for that relationship. I hinted that he should ask Ginny, but he just said nothing. His green eyes turned stony, and I think that I touched a nerve. I was silent after that. And Hermione, well, she didn't want to go at all. She said, angrily, her brown hair crackling with electricity, that she had no one to go with, nobody that wanted her to go. I blushed, but said bluntly, "I want you to." The next day she said she would go...but probably, I thought, because someone else had asked her, or she suddenly remembered someone who would be there. Probably Vicky, I thought sourly.  
And then I heard Harry beside me, say, "Wow, Hermione..." in an awestruck voice, startling me out of my thoughts. I looked up, and I saw Hermione. She looked...there was no other word for it: she looked gorgeous.  
  
_I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight,  
I've never seen you shine so bright,_  
  
She was wearing deep blood-red robes, clinging to her every curve in a way that made my breath catch in my throat. They were long, touching the crimson carpet beneath her feet, which were clad in matching red strappy heels. The front was low-cut, I noticed...how could I not? Even from across the room, I could see the gentle swell of her breasts, a gold locket dropping softly into the curves. I couldn't breath, and I made a strangled noise. And then, her hair...her hair was tamed into long waves of brown silk that flowed down across her shoulders. I longed to touch it, see if it was really that soft. And she was glowing: her face, her eyes, her whole being. Her eyes sparkled with happiness, intelligence, and even...flirtaciousness? And she wasn't looking at Harry...she was looking at--me? I turned a deep crimson that I'm sure rivaled the color of her dress, but never, never, the color of her lips. They looked pillow-soft and...I turned my eyes away. "Harry's right. You look," I paused, looking her over again, "beautiful."  
Hermione flushed with delight, and ducked her head.  
"Well," Harry said, "Let's go."  
We walked down, side-by-side, Hermione's body brushing against mine. I was sure it was an accident, sure that it was due to the hallway being so narrow, but I couldn't help my body's immediate reaction. I blushed, and was sure that if I were to speak, I would stutter.  
We finally got down to the Great Hall, where the sound of soft, romantic music wafted around, as if on a warm breeze. We looked around, and it was no fewer than a minute before she was surrounded by people. Parvati and Lavender, telling her how lovely she looked, and see, only a bit of effort can do so much...and boys. Boys from every house, and every year, staring, and asking her to dance.  
  
_I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance,  
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance,_  
  
I tried to suppress the anger, the jealousy, but I couldn't. And Harry spoke from beside me. I didn't know he was still there.  
"Go after her," he said, his green eyes solemn, "You can't let her pass you by. She needs to know." And so I did. I pushed to her side, and my breath was stolen again, to be replaced by some sort of cruel longing, so deep, so true.  
  
_And I have never seen that dress you're wearing,  
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes,  
I have been blind;_  
  
And now, as I look at her, her hair falling gently across my shoulder, her arms around my neck, her smell that's distinctly Hermione: a mingling scent of jasmine, dusty books and the knowledge inside them, and a fresh, soapy smell that meant she had just taken a bath, I feel something more than I have ever felt in my life. An indescribable feeling. A feeling as if we're the only ones in the universe, but there is no loneliness.  
  
_The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,  
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,  
It's where I want to be,  
But I hardly know, this beauty by my side,  
I'll never forget the way you look tonight;_  
  
Some of the girls looked at me, knowing, and smiled, letting me through, pulling their male friends away. And they looked at me, smirking, and knew as well. Some of them, I suspect, had known all along. She was talking to Mandy Brocklehurst, a Ravenclaw from our year, with very curly hair. She was telling her about her methods to make her hair so calm, so perfect, so beautiful.  
  
_I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight,  
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing,  
I've never seen so many people want to be by your side,_  
  
"Hermione," I croaked, mentally cursing myself for my lack of self-control. She turned away from Mandy and looked up at me, her sparkling eyes focusing on mine, her long brown hair cascading away from her face and down her back. And she smiled. My heart swelled, and all at once, I knew what that indescrible feeling was, the feeling I kept grasping for words for. It was love. This hit me like a tidal wave.  
  
_And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away,  
And I have never had such a feeling,  
A feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight;_  
  
And I think I'll always feel it, this love...it makes me vulnerable, and powerful, all at once. It's part of what makes me who I am. Not just Harry's best friend, a Weasley, a Gryffindor. No, it makes me Hermione's. And I can only hope it makes Hermione mine.  
  
_The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,  
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,  
It's where I want to be,  
But I hardly know, this beauty by my side,  
I'll never forget the way you look tonight;_  
  
And now we dance, swirling among the other happy couples, and I see Harry and Ginny dancing. And I see them, smiling at each other, and I'm sure they feel the same thing about each other that I feel about Hermione. At least, I hope so, because the joy envelopes you, until you know no more. Until you're glad you know no more. And I know I'll never forget this night. How could I?  
  
_I never will forget the way you look tonight.  
The lady in red, the lady in red,  
The lady in red, my lady in red,_  
  
And she'll always be mine, in my heart. My love, my Hermione, my Lady in Red.  
  
And I whisper how I feel, gently into her ear, and I feel her collapse gently into me, and now she looks up, her eyes sparkling, this time not just with intelligence--which is still there, of course--but with joy, and bright tears.  
  
And I hear her say how she feels about me back, and my knees feel weak. I love you...  
  
And I'm kissing her now, kissing her red pillowy-soft lips which yield so gently to me, holding her in my arms, not bothering to dance anymore. And I know somehow, that I'll be doing this for many years to come, and feeling the same way, about my love, my life, my Hermione. My Lady in Red.  
  
_La Fin_


End file.
